Tag: highlands nordic

Highlands Trailblazers Seeks Junior Comp Coach
Lead Coach (Part Time)

Nordic/Biathlon Junior COMPetitive Program

(Job posting)

The Highlands Trailblazers seeks an experienced competitive skier with strong coaching skills to manage the training program for this Junior Competitive (“Jr. Comp”) racing program the Club is adding for the 2017/2018 season. This new program is being formed in response to the rapid growth the Club has experienced over the last few years.

About Highlands Trailblazers Ski Club

The Highlands Trailblazers Ski Club is a nonprofit component of Highlands Nordic Inc. It operates year round, helping skiers build new skills, race and enjoy a social, friendly, team atmosphere. The club operates out of Highlands Nordic in Duntroon, just minutes south of Collingwood. The Trailblazers consistently rank among the top 5 ski clubs in Ontario and are only one of three clubs to offer an on-premise biathlon program. The Club has produced skiers that have competed at the national and international level. It’s training programs follow the Cross Country/Biathlon Canada Long Term Athlete Development principles, with programs ranging from Biathlon Bears and Jackrabbits through to the Train to Compete “Comp” and “Comp 0.22” teams. A Board of Directors manages the Club, with the racing program lead by Head Coach Rick Dickey.

The Program

The “Jr. Comp” program was developed to focus on athletes at the “Train to Train” LTAD level when they progress through their peak growth period. It provides opportunities for the continual progression of technical skills and physical capacities. It is a high-energy program, which includes both Nordic and Biathlon air rifle athletes. The program places heavy emphasis on team building, group interaction and confidence while working to reach common goals.

Athletes have learned how to train as part of a Track Attack or equivalent program with an expectation that they are independently driven to be active every day. They have at least one year of experience racing in cross-country or biathlon at a provincially recognized event (Midget Champs, Paraffin Series, etc)

Key features of the program include:
- Training from July 1 until the end of March
- 1-4 practices a week (depending on the training season)
- Frequent camps for team development and skill development
- A commitment to training and working as a team member
- Full details at: https://sites.google.com/view/highlandstrailblazers/racing-teams/htb-jr-comp?authuser=0
Application Details
- For questions and to submit your application, please contact Martin Rydlo at martin.7systems@gmail.com
Lead Coach Position Overview

This individual will be responsible for delivering the program to the athletes during dryland training, at camps and at races. Their focus is on guiding the athletes as they develop their physical and mental sport specific and sport general skills based on very frequent contact with them so that their progress can be observed regularly. The Lead Coach will be responsible for setting weekly training plans and directing volunteer parent-coaches assisting in the delivery of programming.

I) Specific Coaching Expectations
- Coach the team:
  - Twice per week from July to November
  - Wednesday(1), Saturday & Sunday(2), December to the end of March
  - At training camps and ski races
- Communicate with athletes regarding program specifics and individual questions
- Work with the coaching team:
  - Attend coaches meetings as requested
  - Work closely with the lead biathlon coach to coordinate athlete training programs
- Provide weekly guidance to the squad’s parent-volunteer team
II) Desired Skills

A. Be a good technical ski racer and passionate adventurer; biathlon background an asset

B. Experience coaching athletes, preferably at the younger level (19 and under)

C. Certified, at a minimum, as Community Coaching (NCCP Cross-Country OR BiCan Community Gold) or equivalent training, and ideally hold Learn to Train certification

D. Demonstrated Coaching, Cross-Country/Biathlon and Leadership skills such as:

i) Coaching Skills
- Ability to translate a seasonal training plan developed by the club’s coaching team, into a daily training plan that the athletes follow
- Ability to regularly solicit feedback and translate it into clear direction for the team
ii) Cross-Country/Biathlon Skills
- Experience training with recognized ski club or training center related to cross-country skiing/biathlon
- Competed at the provincial or university level, or higher
- Committed to a “win” attitude based on demonstrated racing or coaching results
iii) Leadership Skills
- Ability to work collaboratively with the team based on good communication & organization
- Ability to take a leadership role driven by initiative and need for minimal supervision.
- Ability to motivate, and gain the confidence of athletes in an ethical, positive environment
Compensation:
- $27,000 based on 155 annual coaching days(3); adjusted to reflect employment start date and negotiable based on successful candidate’s availability and experience.
- Gas, food and accommodation remuneration for travel to races and camps
- 50% discount at Pro Shop and free annual trail pass
- Compensation for coach certification courses
***

1) Wednesdays: 5:00-6:30 pm

2) Saturday & Sunday: 9:30am to 12:30 pm which may include dry land, roller-skiing and on-snow training

3) including preparation time and non training time; contact time with parents, athletes and coaches
September 21, 2017
Remembering Larry Sinclair: A Legacy Extending Well Beyond Highlands Nordic

Canada’s Larry Sinclair, a founding member of the Highlands Trailblazers Ski Club and provincial- and national-level coach since the late 1970s, died at age 59 on Jan. 25 after battling cancer. (Photo: “Light the trails for Larry”/fundrazr.com)

There are some things you must know about Larry, for he is no ordinary man. He is one of the most extraordinary human beings I have ever met. — Brittany Webster, on Highland Trailblazers Ski Club founder Larry Sinclair

Larry Sinclair was, in a word, dedicated — to his sport and to young skiers, and not just in helping them become top-level athletes, but making them the best people they could be, according to former Cross Country Canada (CCC) President Richard Lemoine.

A provincial and national skier from Collingwood, Ontario, who went on to help found Cross Country Ontario and the Highlands Trailblazers Ski Club, Lawrence “Larry” Sinclair passed away at home on Jan. 25 at age 59 after battling cancer. (Photo: Obitsforlife.com)

And the longtime coach, national-team wax technician and founding member of the Highland Trailblazers Ski Club knew his time was limited. Fifteen days before Sinclair, 59, passed away on Jan. 25 after battling cancer, the NorAm and Junior/U23 World Championships Team Trials were held at Highlands Nordic in Duntroon, Ontario.

“We all knew that Larry was very sick and while we were all hopeful, we knew he faced a huge challenge,” Lemoine reflected in an email. “Despite this, Larry dedicated his efforts to making sure that our trails were ready to be homologated – that included spending weeks laying out some new trails and wielding a chain saw to cut down hundreds of trees.”

The races were a success “and many athletes commented on how the trails were a true test of athletic abilities that separated the very good from the very best,” he added. There were no free rides at Highlands, something Sinclair was proud of: “You have to work to get around the course and grunt your way up every last hill,” Lemoine wrote.

That NorAm weekend, Lemoine and Sinclair’s brother Shawn, the chief of competition, reminisced while watching some of the races. How would Sinclair be remembered? Shawn noted that his brother had created a race site at Highlands, and that the ski resort it had become was an afterthought.

“It was if Larry hung on to make sure that the races were a success. That was the last time he was able to make it to the resort he so loved and dedicated so much of his life to,” Lemoine explained. “Larry touched many in his too brief stay on this planet. He was a mentor to not only athletes but also to many ski coaches and officials. He was also a stalwart in the community for many other causes.”

“Larry touched many in his too brief stay on this planet. He was a mentor to not only athletes but also to many ski coaches and officials.” — Richard Lemoine

A competitive provincial and national skier from Collingwood, Ontario, Sinclair became a coach in the late 1970s, starting his career with the University of Guelph ski team, according to a CCC press release. In 1989, he coached Canada at its first World University Games appearance in Sofia, Bulgaria, and additionally led several junior and provincial team trips to Europe.

Sinclair went on to join Team Canada at the 1988 Olympics in Calgary, Alberta, as a wax tech. He served as the head coach of Ontario and Southern Ontario for several years and received the Heinz Niederhauser Coaching Award for his excellence in coaching.

He helped create Cross Country Ontario (CCO) to promote the regional development of the sport and enable direct access to provincial funding. In the ’90s, he instructed coaches and course conductors and also mentored athletes and coaches as the founder of Highlands Trailblazers, with a nordic facility that’s developed into “one of the finest, all privately funded, cross country facilities in the country,” according to CCC.

“It was a family operation with any profits in a volatile, weather related business, going back into the further development of the facility itself,” the release stated.

“While Larry was such a force in the skiing community he was even more dedicated to his wife Pat and his cherished daughters Kelly and Megan,” Lemoine wrote. “I had the honour of being a good friend of the entire Sinclair family and saw the love and attention he lavished on his daughters.

“We truly lost a great person,” he added. “He will be truly missed. Perhaps the best way to sum up his and his family’s dedication to the sport is that in lieu of flowers the family has requested that donations be made to the ski club he founded so many years ago – the Highlands Trailblazers.”

Unrivaled Commitment

A two-time Olympian and 2013 Senior World Championships team member, Brittany Webster, 27, grew up at Highlands. She remembered Sinclair as “a person with a huge heart who puts everyone and anyone before himself. He has single-handedly developed the Highlands Nordic facility through his sheer love of cross-country skiing and has devoted his life to sharing his passion with others,” she wrote in an email.

Webster first met Sinclair when she was a “keen yet very novice” high-school racer.

“For all Larry knew, I was yet another one of the thousands of high school racers he had seen pass through his club on their way to a University career path who would occasionally drag out their skis once every few years to go for a jaunt on the trails,” she wrote. “The amazing thing was that he treated me just like everyone else, like gold.”

He gave her a 60-percent discount on her first pair of race skis, helped her out with a “great set of boots” and let her use the facility essentially for free.

“I could not even ski,” Webster wrote. “This is the kind of person Larry is, he does anything for anyone in hopes that they will one day share his and their enthusiasm for cross-country skiing with their young ones.

“Perhaps he did not expect it, perhaps he did, but I took Larry up on his offer and went to Highlands Nordic every weekend I could. As Larry saw me develop into a somewhat decent provincial racer he began to develop his race program as best he could to accommodate me,” she added. “With no money and no race program in place, Larry found a way to hire a full-time coach for our little club. His time, effort, and dedication to me took me places I would have never dreamed.”

Three years later, Webster was the top Canadian at 2007 Junior World Championships in Tarvisio, Italy, placing sixth and ninth in two individual distance races.

“I travelled the world racing in different countries, but always always made the effort to come home to Highlands Nordic,” wrote Webster, who now trains with the Alberta World Cup Academy in Canmore, Alberta. “It is a very special place Larry has developed. It is my home, they are my family.”

Sinclair started his days at 5 a.m. and worked until close, 7 p.m., after which he would meet Webster and review her video technique sessions with her.

“Larry takes no days off. Even a few years ago, when he suffered through many chemo treatments to treat his stage 4 cancer, he was up at the crack of dawn getting ready for a 10 hr day at the Nordic Centre,” she recalled.

Whatever spare time he had, Sinclair mulled ways to give back to his sport and his family, she added.

“Every year I return back home I see new changes to the facility,” she wrote. “[Eight kilometers] of new race trails have been built over the last 3 years, there have been additions to the chalet, new wax trailers, and new equipment for the athletes.

“It goes without saying that Larry’s commitment to me, and my dreams has gotten me to the Olympics. Without him I would not be an Olympian. His legacy continues as he mentors young kids just like me and is developing a facility and program that is raising eyebrows and collecting medals all over the country.”

Light the Trails for Larry

After Sinclair’s passing, Lemoine initiated an online campaign called, “Light the trails for Larry,” which initially aimed to raise $9,000 to light at least 3 kilometers of trails at Highlands — part of Sinclair’s vision to provide the public with more hours on snow.

“Larry reached out to the larger community and an affordable solution was found – a mixture of low voltage LED lights – deep cycle batteries – solar panels to recharge the batteries,” the fundrazr.com website explains. “The cost per light is approximately $300 – much cheaper than any other system. A light is required about every 100 metres.”

The first part of the plan is to illuminate 3 k of trails, and eventually, 8 kilometers, which would cost approximately $24,000. Contributors of $300 or more will be recognized with a plaque at the chalet. As of Wednesday, more than $18,000 had been raised.

For more information, visit https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/7wDpf/sh/64UK15.

February 11, 2015
Webster Nabs 10 k Victory at Home in Duntroon; Nishikawa Sweeps NorAm Distance Trials (Updated)

Brittany Webster (Highlands Trailblazers) tops the women’s podium in the NorAm 10 k freestyle interval start Sunday in Duntroon, Ontario. Zoe Roy (second from l) was second, Andrea Dupont (second from r) was third, Amanda Ammar (l) was fourth and Alana Thomas placed fifth. (CCC Facebook photo: www.facebook.com/pages/Cross-Country-Canada-Ski-de-fond-Canada)

(Note: This article has been updated to include comments from Andrea Dupont.)

Every racer has their beef with one course or another. For Toronto native Brittany Webster, hers was right at home at Highlands Nordic in Duntroon, Ontario.

So much for home-course advantage.

Webster, 25, confronted her quasi-fears and attacked the women’s two-lap course on Sunday, winning in the NorAm 10-kilometer freestyle interval start in 31:44.1. Four years ago at the same venue just a short drive from her home, the Highlands Trailblazers skier finished second in the 10 k classic at Canadian Nationals. She went on to place sixth in the 30 k freestyle mass start – not exactly what she was looking for.

Webster wanted one thing on Sunday – a great race – and her hometown fans helped her achieve that.

“I’ve had some bad experiences even here at Highlands,” Webster said on the phone after winning the NorAm distance race and Senior World Championships trial by 23.4 seconds.

“For me it was [about] just being excited,” she continued. “I wanted to make sure I was just really excited to come here and see my family and see my club and just enjoy my whole time here instead of worrying about racing.”

The spectators, and moreover, all the volunteers calling her name, pulled her through the working course with a few hard sections and several flats. Down by 10 seconds to Andrea Dupont (Rocky Mountain Racers) and about a second behind Alana Thomas (Nakkertok) in third after the first lap, Webster focused on skiing conservatively and relaxed.

“It’s a tough course out there and the snow is soft,” Webster said of the warming conditions on a chilly -7 degree Celsius (19.4 Fahrenheit) day. “There’s a lot of girls that kind of faded away and I didn’t want to be one of those people.”

One of the last starters with all the splits she needed to fuel her, Webster gradually turned it on over the next 5 k, leading by some 20 seconds coming into the finish. Runner-up Zoe Roy (RMR) made up considerable ground on the second lap as well after skiing in fourth, 16.6 seconds behind Dupont.

Best known as a sprinter, Dupont finished third (+32.6) after winning Saturday’s classic sprint for her second-straight victory at the two-part trials. Dupont also won the NorAm classic sprint at Lappe Nordic in Thunder Bay, Ontario, earlier this month, which will likely secure her a trip to World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy, at the end of February. A team-selection announcement is expected sometime on Monday.

“I am still a little shocked in my distance result,” Dupont wrote in an email on Monday. “Since the Quebec sprint in soft, deep snow I have been working on efficiency in these conditions. My goal for the interval start was to ski relaxed and technically well. I was able to ski relaxed and efficient for the first lap, but my technique fell apart a bit on the second lap.”

While she couldn’t explain it, Dupont explained she came into the weekend relaxed. With the World Championships team announcement looming, she was suddenly feeling more angst.

“It is funny because now I am nervous,” she wrote. “I have done everything in my power as a sprinter to meet the criteria. I am the fittest I have ever been and would be thrilled if given the opportunity to test myself in Europe. But at this point it is out of my hands.”

Webster’s win puts her in close contention with Emily Nishikawa (Alberta World Cup Academy/Senior Development Team) for a distance spot. Nishikawa won the preceding skiathlon at the Lappe Nordic trials, but did not race Sunday because of sickness.

“It was a great race for me,” Webster said after a solid all-around weekend, in which she placed seventh in the classic sprint after qualifying in fifth. “I hope this performance shows them that I’m back in shape again.”

At the skiathlon on Jan. 3 in Thunder Bay, Webster was fourth during which time she was recovering from the flu. “Now that I’m back on track, I’ll hopefully ski more consistently,” she said.

After feeling sick the night before and waking up with a cold, Nishikawa explained that not racing was a difficult decision to make.

“I knew I was sick but I really wanted to race today,” she wrote in an email. “So I went to the race site, and warming up I just knew I wasn’t feeling hundred percent and decided it would be best to play it safe.”

According to her coach, Mike Cavaliere, they reasoned racing was not worth the health risk.

“We will be applying to the selection committee since Emily has been a very dominant female skier this year,” he wrote in an email. “So we believe they will consider her for the World Championships.”

Graham Nishikawa, 29, leading Alberta World Cup Academy teammates, including Jesse Cockney (207) and Kevin Sandau (202) in the Lappe Nordic NorAm 30 k skiathlon in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

While her future is a little uncertain, her brother likely secured his. Graham Nishikawa (AWCA/NST) rolled to his second-straight distance victory at the World Championships trials, winning Sunday’s 15 k freestyle by 32.7 seconds in 40:29.7.

After the first of three laps, he had already built a 17.2-second lead. Teammate Michael Somppi skied in second, half a second ahead of another Academy/NST member Kevin Sandau. By the end of the second lap, the top three remained the same – but Nishikawa was up by more than 31 seconds.

“I was just trying to ski really smooth and technically well,” Nishikawa said. “I didn’t really know I was going up that fast, but then I caught Kevin Sandau on the second lap. I started to get some splits that I was doing well. I tried to keep driving it to the line.”

Sandau started 31.6 seconds ahead of Nishikawa, who went out last. That made catching Sandau a good sign. Sick after Thunder Bay, Nishikawa spent the last few weeks recovering and was a bit nervous about how he’d perform this weekend.

“After you come off sickness it’s either really good or really bad; I’m glad it was really good,” he said.

Without a definite word on whether he’ll make the Canadian World Championships team, Nishikawa tried not to think about it too much.

“I’m very optimistic that things will go well, but I try to win the race and that’s all I could’ve done,” he said.

Sandau finished second, 32.7 seconds back, and Somppi ended up third (+45.3). Starting 30 seconds apart, the two essentially skied parallel races and remained within a second of each other through the first two laps.

“I had tried to start aggressively to make some time early on in the race,” Sandau wrote in an email. “Don’t think I could have started much faster, and Graham had made about 17 seconds on the first lap. He caught me about 7km in and then I worked a bit with him to keep the pace quick.

“I’m happy with second, would of definitely liked to win, but Graham has been racing at another level this year,” he added. “So really happy to see him grab the win and punch a ticket to Italy.”

Second on the distance-rankings list to Nishikawa, Sandau didn’t expect to make the World Championships team.

“It is pretty clear they only have a spot for one at world champs, so I don’t think anything will come of these races in terms of a trip to Europe,” he said.

Overall, the second half of his season was going smoothly, he added. So no regrets.

Somppi also started hard, but didn’t feel as good as he did in Thunder Bay, where he won the 15 k freestyle. One of three events that weekend, the 15 k didn’t count as a World Championships qualifier.

By the end of Sunday’s race, Somppi wrote that he faded on what he considered a “deceivingly challenging” course with two long climbing sections in soft conditions.

“I didn’t actually realize Kevin and Graham were so close behind me until the final km, but I couldn’t have done much about it anyway,” Somppi wrote. “I pushed myself to the limit early in the race and was doing everything I could to hang on in the end.”

Ultimately, he was happy to be on the podium.

“It feels good to be challenging for podium results regularly this season and I hope to continue to find the podium in next weekend’s NorAm events,” Somppi wrote.

Brian McKeever of the Canadian Para-Nordic Ski Team placed fourth (+58.0) and Graeme Killick (AWCA/NST) was 1:10.5 out of first in fifth. Saturday’s sprint winner, Brent McMurtry (AWCA/NST) placed sixth (+1:16.0), Chris Hamilton (AWCA) was seventh (+2:14.8), Jesse Cockney (AWCA) eighth (+2:14.9), David Greer (Yukon Elite Squad) ninth (+2:24.3) and Dudley Coulter (NDC-Thunder Bay) 10^th (+2:25.0).

In the women’s race, Amanda Ammar (Canmore) was 3.1 seconds off the podium in fourth (+35.7), Thomas finished fifth (+36.6), Kate Brennan (AWCA) was sixth (+56.6), Alysson Marshall (AWCA/NST) seventh (+1:23.4), and Rebecca Reid (AWCA) eighth (+1:24.2). Alannah Maclean (NDC-Thunder Bay) was the top junior in ninth (+2:01.0) and teammate Erin Tribe was 10^th (+2:13.3).

Women’s results

Men’s results

January 28, 2013